How to Order Stone for a Project: From Sample to Delivery

Buying natural stone in bulk for a project is not like buying tiles from a catalogue but a chain of decisions: choosing the stone from samples, calculating the quantity from the layout, approving the batch, logistics and acceptance on site. A mistake at any stage (an unsuitable stone, an insufficient reserve, stone from different batches) is costly, because stone travels a long way and is hard to return or reorder quickly.

The main criterion when choosing a supplier for a project is the ability to take responsibility for the whole journey, from sample to slab installed in its place. That is why developers and general contractors tend to work with companies that have their own warehouse, processing, designers and installation.

This article is for developers, general contractors, procurement departments, architects and private clients building large houses. Below is the process as it works at TECHNOFORMA: a warehouse in the Moscow region with stone from India, Turkey, China and Iran, supply to order from anywhere in the world, layout, measurements, 3D visualisation, installation and designer supervision. An overview of stones is in the section Natural stone for facades and interiors.

Samples are the first and most important step. They are used to check colour, pattern, surface finish and the combination with other facade or interior materials.

• Size. A small sample shows the colour but not the pattern. For marble, onyx and travertine it is better to look at large samples or photos of whole slabs from the batch, or better still the slabs themselves at the warehouse.

• Finish. The same granite polished and flamed looks like two different stones. Request samples in the finish that will go on the project.

• Viewing conditions. Stone is viewed in daylight, next to samples of windows, roofing, porcelain stoneware and GFRC (glass fibre reinforced concrete).

• Documents. Together with the sample, request data on the stone and quarry and test reports: for a facade, water absorption, strength and frost resistance.

• Reference. The approved sample is signed and kept: the batch will be accepted against it.

At TECHNOFORMA the stone can be seen in person at the warehouse in the Moscow region, or samples can be requested for your project.

The order quantity is calculated from the layout, not from the wall area. The facade area from the design is only a starting figure. Added to it are:

An accurate calculation needs working drawings and a survey. TECHNOFORMA takes measurements with its own surveyors: on existing buildings actual dimensions almost always differ from the drawings. The result is a specification: how many slabs or pieces, what thickness, what finish and which non-standard elements.

A layout is a drawing in which every slab has a position, size and number. For bulk purchasing it has three functions:

1. It fixes the quantity: the specification is built from the layout, not the area.

2. It sets the production order: which pieces to cut from which slabs, how to finish the edges, where to mill kerfs for fixings.

3. It defines the delivery order: slabs are packed by installation section so that nobody on site has to search for the right slab among hundreds of others.

For stones with a pronounced pattern the final layout is made from photos of the real slabs of the selected batch. The result is easily checked in a 3D visualisation before cutting: changing a layout on screen is free, redoing cut stone is not.

The layout is approved by the architect and the client before cutting starts and is fixed as part of the supply contract. After that, any change (moving an opening, changing the slab format, a different edge finish) goes through a revision of the layout and specification. This may seem bureaucratic, but on a project with hundreds of unique slabs it is the only way to know what has already been cut, what is in transit and what can still be changed without loss.

Stone logistics for a project is not just delivery but also scheduling.

• Stock item or ordered in. Stock stone ships without waiting for sea freight; stone ordered in comes from the country of origin, and the lead time depends on the quarry, volume, cutting and route.

• Phased delivery. For a large project, stone is delivered by installation section: this saves space on site and reduces the risk of breakage in storage.

• Packing. Slabs go in crates or on racks with spacers, and each crate is labelled with the list of slabs and the section.

• Unloading. A crane truck or crane and a prepared level area are needed.

• Storage on site. On pallets, under cover, off the ground, so that the stone does not absorb moisture and salts.

TECHNOFORMA's warehouses are located from Novorossiysk and Makhachkala to Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg; its production base and stone warehouses are in the Moscow region.

Acceptance is the last chance to detect a problem before a slab ends up on the wall.

1. Documents. Delivery notes checked against the specification, a certificate or test report for the batch.

2. Packing. Integrity of crates, signs of impact or moisture.

3. Quantity. Slabs counted against their marking and the schedule.

4. Match with the reference. Colour, pattern and finish compared with the approved sample in daylight.

5. Geometry. Spot checks of thickness, dimensions, squareness and flatness.

6. Defects. Chips, cracks, cavities, stains, uneven polish.

7. Report. Comments are recorded in writing with photos so that slabs can be replaced quickly.

If installation is carried out by the same company that supplies the stone, acceptance is simpler: responsibility for the slab is not split between supplier and installer.

On the Dinastiya club house in Kislovodsk, TECHNOFORMA designed and installed a facade combining 700 m² of granite, 6,000 m² of GFRC and 700 m² of porcelain stoneware. It is an example of full-cycle work, where supply of the cladding and installation are in one pair of hands. The company works the same way on large residential projects with big volumes, for example the Dominanta residential complex in Makhachkala: 14,000 m² of GFRC and 13,000 m² of porcelain stoneware.

Other projects are in the TECHNOFORMA projects section. Which stones are suitable for exterior cladding is covered in Natural stone for facades: which stones are suitable.